Impact of Misleading Advertisements: Issues and Remedies

Advertising is one of the public media options used to reach out to an audience, create and sustain their interest through words and illustrations to encourage them to buy a particular product or a service. The communication can be made either through mass media or through new media. The Mass media includes newspapers, television, magazines, commercials, Radio advertising and the new media includes blogs, websites or text messages .The rationale behind advertising is to update the consumer regarding a particular product and its availability in the market. The prime objective of advertising is toward generating demand used for new products by attracting the interests of public towards it. Further; it is intended to enhance the awareness among the customers. Ambiguous and deliberate attempt to mislead can have serious economic consequences, especially when exposed to large target groups or when it occurs for long duration. Such advertisements will adversely affect the sales of the product and its brand image and in the end the producer and distributors as well. Sometimes competitors honest promotional efforts of the same product will also be affected since the consumer will presume all advertisements are bogus. Such a practice is unethical. From consumers end he will pay higher price for the product based on the tall claim made and the product does not match the claim. One does not fundamentally object to any exaggeration in the manner the products is advertised but when it extends to falsehood exaggerating the facts to hood wink the customer then it becomes unacceptable. This article highlights such issues and looks at the concepts of misleading advertisements and their impact on Indian consumers. The article also aims to provide possible remedies to end such practices and ensure healthy and fair advertisement strategies. ?Advertising may be described as the science of arresting human intelligence long enough to get money from it. -Stephen Leacock